William a



(No Model.)

W. A. LEGGO.

CIRCUIT CONTROLLER. No. 329,398. Patented Oct. 27, 1885.

JHI/anor,

Iwgnphur. Washington D c center.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. LEGGO, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Cl RCUlT-CONTROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 329,398, dated October 27,1885.

Application filed August 10, 1881. Serial No. 39,683. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. LEGGO, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new'and useful Improvement in Circuit-Controllers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object of this invention is to producea circuit-controller applicable to telegraph keys and relays, in which the moving contact may have any desired amplitude of movement and shall make a firm sudden contact without the exertion of any special force upon the key or by the relay-magnet, and in which the relation of make and break while the apparatus is in operation may be varied or adjusted, and which may be readily changed from an open to a closed circuit, or vice versa, or which may make a double contact at each movement, changing or not the direction of the current, as may be desired. To accomplish this Imake the contact-lever of the controlling device of a flat piece of elastic metal, suitably pivoted, and provided at its shorter end, if a key, with the usual finger-button, or connected, if used in a relay, with the armature of the relaymagnet. Instead of contacting directly upon its anvil, this lever at its longer end bears against and slides upon a contact-block, which is arranged at right angles to the lever, and is made with two metallic ends and insulating This block is capable of being adjusted longitudinally, and for this purpose it may be mounted upon asuitable screw. One terminal is connected to this screw, while the other is connectedto the controlling lever. If, now, the contact-block be so adjusted that the end of the controlling-lever normally rests upon the insulating center of the block, it is evident that when this lever is depressed as a key or is moved in a relay-magnet its end will slide upon one metallic end of the block and close circuit; or if the lever be so adjusted that the end rests on one metallic portion of the block it will slide upon the insulating portion in its movement and break circuit.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is aside perspective view representing my invention as applied to a telegraph-key, and Fig. 2a diagram of a relay embodying my improvement.

Like letters denote corresponding parts in both figures.

A is the lever of the circuit-controller, which lever is preferablya flat piece of elastic metal, which is pivoted at a in suitable supports B is the contact-block, against which the lever A presses laterally at its long end, such lever being provided with a contactplate, a, of platinum, sliding upon the contact-block B. This block B is composed of metallic ends I; b and an insulating center, 0. It is preferably mounted upon a screw, 0, which is either held stationary and the block adjusted by being turned thereon, or the block is properly guided and the screw turned to adjust such block. This block is located centrally in line with the pivot and short end of the lever, and its diameter is such that the long arm of the lever is sprung or deflected laterally when in contact therewith, so as to insure a good contact.

When the circuit-controller is used as a telegraph-key, Fig. 1, the lever A is mounted on a horizontal axis and supported from a proper base, X, by standards d (2. Through this base, on opposite sides of the pivot of the lever A, project upwardly adjusting-screws D D, upon which the lever strikes directly or through bearings e 6, provided for that purpose. The contact-block B is placed vertically and the screw 0 is preferably fixed to the base X. The lever A itself forms the key, and has on its short end the ordinary finger-button, f.

As shown in Fig. 1, the key is arranged to complete the circuit on depression of f, the end of the controlling lever or key sliding from the insulating center cto the metallic end I) of the block B. The block B may, however, be raised on the screw 0 so that a normally will rest on b. then on manipulation of f the plate a will slide upon 0 and break the circuit.

By means of the screws D D the lever or key itself may be adjusted to have any desired motion to suit individual requirements.

By adjusting the screws D, as well as the block B, the time of movement of the lever A may be divided between make and break of the circuit in any desired proportion. For instance, the adjustment may be such that a just rests on 0.

Then for nearly all the movement of the lever the plate a will contact with b,- or the block B may be so adjusted that a will contact with 1) during only a small portionthe last portion of the movement of the lever. This capability of not only adjusting the play of the controlling-lever, but also of determining the proportion of active and non-active movement, (so far as the current is concerned,) makes this circuit-controller desirable for many telegraphic purposes.

The use of my circuit-controller in a relay is illustrated in Fig. 2. The controlling-lever is preferably arranged vertically and the contact-block horizontally, but the reverse arrangement can be employed.

The lever A is connected with the lever of the armature E of the relay magnet F, although the lever of such armature may form at the same time the controlling-lever. A spring, g, is used to retain the lever A at one limit of its movement, both in the relay and key.

In the relay the limiting screws D may be placed on opposite sides of the armature-lever, or on opposite sides of the pivot of the controlling-lever A.

What I claim is 1. The combination, with acircuit-controlling lever, of an adjustable contact-block having a metallic and an insulated portion, whereby it may be changed to maintain normally an open or a 'closed circuit, substantiallyas set forth.

2. In a circuit-controller, and. in combination with the controlling-lever, a contact-block having metal ends and insulating center, and. suitably mounted on an adjustable screw, the block and lever being held in contact by the spring of said lever, substantially as set forth.

3. In a circuit-controller, the combination of an adjustable contact-block having metal ends and insulating center, a controlling-lever held in contact therewith by its own elasticity, anda pair of adjustable screws for regulating the play of said lever, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 15th day of June, 1881.

WILLIAM A. LEGGO.

Witnesses:

WM. H. MEADOWOROFT, H. W. SEELY.. 

